I bought a 47qt Setpower 3 years ago. I use a 2400wh Bluetti power station to power connected to 200w flexible solar on the roof. I’ve gone on month long trips no problem. We go on weekend trips often as well. I use it when I make Costco runs too. Everything stays in the backseat of my double cab truck. Best thing I ever did. All food after camping just transfers back to the house fridge after. No wet food and no melted ice. More room for food.
Coolers were "cool" at one point and have their purpose so were generators. Once you have fridge with generating battery system...especially with solar...😅u never look back.
You certainly dont 'need' a fridge. Its a luxury. 25 years ago i certainly could not afford one. Now theyre as cheap as chips. They do make camping / overlanding far more comfortable though. Especially here in Aus. On a side note, never, i repeat, never leave you fridge plugged in if you are using your starter battery to power it. They say they cut off, but dont trust it! Yes, i got caught out a few years ago.
I think the only way to justify the cost of a refrigerator is to use it every day. I always carry water, drinks, and snacks in mine. I use it when buying refrigerated groceries so I don't have to immediately return home. It has even been handy for transporting temperature-sensitive medications. For me, I can't imagine not having one now. But no, pretty much nobody needs one.
I completely disagree, i think its necessary and total game changer. 1) going out to eat? Always have left overs and dont have to rush. 2) Always have cold drink and cheaper than running to a gas station 3) when i go to work, i can make a grocery run at any time. If you have a truck, get one....
Tanner, you nailed every point on point without brand bashing or hyping. In reality, I didn't "need" a fridge any more than I "need" to camp/overand/travel", but I choose both because I "want to". Going fridge absolutely allowed me to venture out to new locations for longer periods of time where finding ice to replenish a cooler was not an option. My fridge and power supply for it are both portable enough to move from vehicle to vehicle as needed without any need for hard wiring. When the fridge is not in a vehicle, it sits in the corner of our living room keeping beer, soda, water and TV snacks cool and on the ready.
Well, if we're talking high end... A Dometic CFX345 is around 950. A Yeti 47 liter is around 450. 17 weeks of ice @ 30 bucks a week is around 500 bucks. So here are two basically equal numbers. One big difference is that your gonna take alot of space in your cooler for ice. The fridge becomes a substantially larger storage space. For me, I've always kept a cooler in my vehicle for at least 6 or 7 months out of the year. Now I have refrigeration always. It doesn't just impact my camping, it impacts everyday life. It changes the way we shop, and the way I make lunch. The lunch issue by itself is a money saver. The beating I took from my wife when she found out I bought a +/- $1000 fridge is WAY in the past. She's a total convert now. No, I haven't commented on powering the fridge. There are a bunch of options. But I also haven't spoken on more cost effective fridges. There are a bunch of option there too. You don't need to spring for Dometic pricing which is always up there. Maybe unnecessarily so. I did, but most don't.
Hey man! This was a GREAT VID! I just received my Dometic fridge that i look forward to hardwire. Your description of strengths and weaknesses and best applications is supurb! I learned so much!
I have 3 ICECO fridges and rotate usage on trips to the cabin. Powered by EcoFlow Delta 2 with extra battery. Your comments were spot on and should help others to dial in to the best solution for their needs. I take the fridge out of my 4Runner at the cabin and when I return home so I don't need a slide.
I think I could listen to this man until the cows came home! Very good gear content! Keep up the great work! Ps. These are mostly things I have once learned but they are presented in a manor that promotes the most crucial approach to all things. Keep it simple! I hope to see some “MTV Cribs” overland addition of some camps to see all the little genius things.
When you say you can use all the space in a fridge as opposed to a cooler which the ice takes up part of the capacity, that’s not really accurate. All dc fridges have a step that houses the compressor and other components that take up a large part of the capacity, resulting in fridges being much larger than coolers taking up space in your rig. That said, love my ICECO. Eliminating the hassle of getting ice and the mess of melted ice and water is a game changer. Being able to monitor the temperature and depend on it to stay consistent is the key to food safety. Big investment up front, but totally worth it in the long run.
Fridges and coolers are not needed. Backpackers have been making it work for decades. Freeze dried meals are also a lot better than they used to be. But hey, if you got the money, get a fridge.
Starting to build out a more robust weekend setup but we're using a cooler with one of those electric heatsink fan chillers. Runs on 120v and 12v and it's been great for weekend trips or just long trips with the family. Plus, whenever the electric part of it dies, we still have a big robust cooler.
